International Corporate Volunteering: Rapidly Growing Trend to Advance People, Planet, Profits

by Alice Korngold, President, Korngold Consulting

Corporations are recognizing their mutual interests in partnerships with NGOs and governments to address vital global challenges. Collaborations include companies bringing valuable resources to bear in helping to develop regional economies in emerging and dynamic markets where corporations seek to establish or expand their presence. In particular, companies are engaging in global pro bono, also known as international corporate volunteering (ICV), to foster leadership development among their employees, while also improving health care, education, and business success among local enterprises.

Deirdre White, president of CDC Development Solutions, points out that ICV is a "rapidly growing trend that improves the company's triple bottom line," meaning people, planet, and profits. In fact, over the past five years, the number of companies engaging in ICV programs has increased from just a handful to several dozen Fortune 500s and multinationals today. CDC Development Solutions partners with leading companies worldwide to facilitate ICV programs in more than 70 countries.

This April 11 and 12th, I will join corporate, NGO, and government leaders at the 4th Annual International Corporate Volunteerism (ICV) Conference, hosted by CDC Development Solutions. Held in Washington, D.C., the program will feature people from PepsiCo, IBM, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, John Deere, Merck, Emirates, SAP and others, who will share how ICV is building leadership ranks at their companies. Through ICV, these and other corporations deploy teams of employees who volunteer their professional skills for local governments, social enterprises, educational institutions, and NGOs in emerging and dynamic markets around the world.

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*This article originally appeared on the Huffington Post.